Networked Innovation in Classical Music: Collaborative Ecologies in Creative Cities

英国和欧洲的城市通常包含各种各样的古典音乐机构：场馆、管弦乐队、合奏团、节日、音乐学院、大学、业余团体和个人从业者都在这一领域提供重要的活动。然而，这些创意生态是如何运作的，人们知之甚少，工作往往是孤立的，协作潜力也就丧失了。目前，古典音乐行业面临着重大挑战，公共补贴减少，观众老龄化，以及在疫情封锁改变了观众习惯后重建观众的紧迫性。该项目的目的是将当地合作伙伴聚集在一起，评估和鼓励他们的城市作为面对此类挑战的创新场所。该项目将在我们的“重点城市”建立七个新的网络——五个在英国，两个在欧洲——以评估现有的合作，探索各机构可能更好地合作的领域，并评估阻碍当前合作努力的障碍。这些个人网络将成为致力于创新和加强古典音乐领域的个人和组织的更大网络的一部分。通过与音乐学院和大学的学者以及古典音乐领域的管理者、表演者和观众合作，该项目将探索高等音乐教育的目的和实践，并考虑专业音乐家在未来几十年里为成为一名专业音乐家所具备的多样性和适应性的程度。该网络的研究结果将为英国和欧洲的创意城市之间更紧密的合作提供一个模式，并为未来的学术研究和实践发展奠定坚实的基础。

Cities across the UK and Europe typically contain a diverse range of classical music institutions: venues, orchestras, ensembles, festivals, conservatoires, universities, amateur groups and individual practitioners all offer significant activity in this field. How these creative ecologies function, however, is little understood, with work often siloed and collaborative potential lost.The classical sector faces significant challenges in the present moment, with decreasing public subsidy and an ageing audience, on top of the urgency to rebuild audiences after pandemic lockdowns have changed attendance habits. The aim of this project is to bring local partners together to assess and encourage their cities as sites for innovation in the face of such challenges. The project will generate seven new networks in our 'focus cities' - five in the UK, two in Europe - to evaluate existing collaborations, to explore areas in which institutions might work better together, and to assess the barriers that are hampering current collaborative efforts. These individual networks will become part of a larger network of individuals and organisations committed to innovating and strengthening the classical music sector. By working with academics in conservatoires and universities alongside classical music sector managers, performers and audiences, the project will explore the purpose and practices of higher music education, and consider the extent to which professional musicians are equipped for the diversity and adaptability of being a professional musician in the coming decades. The findings of the network will generate a model for closer collaboration across creative cities around the UK and Europe, as well as laying strong foundations for future academic research and developments in practice.